Transmission of power to vehicles



A. U. AVERA TRANSMISSION OF POWER TO VEHICLES Original Filed Ju-ly 15. 1922 2 Sheemsheet Stgo: neg

Dec. 4, 1928.

A. U. AVERA TRANSMISSION OF POWER TO VEHICLES original Filed July l5. 1922 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Dec. l71, 1928.

g .UNiTEDl'STAT-ES,

PATENT.- oFFlzcE.,

yARCH UPSHAWAVERA, or FLORENCE, ALABAMA.

' TRANSMISSION `or POWERA 'ro vniiiems. l

originaiappiicatifin filed July 13, i922, serial No. 574,724. Divide@ and `1923. serial` Notities.

My invention relates to the transmission of power to vehiclesk and more particularlyto current collectors therefor.

The main object of the invention is to provide a simple and reliable Vvcurrent collector especially adapted for use in the transmission ofpower from a trolley system to moving vehicles, such as cars, busses, canal boats and the l ir my @pending-,application Seria-l Number tfienied J uiy; i3, i922.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings in which:`- n

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view `.show-ing the 2o invention applied to the transmission ot power to vehicles; e i

Figs. 2, Sande are enlarged detail views eta set of contact wheels;` f Y F gs. 5, 6and7 are enlargeddetail views of one of the trolley 'support-s Referring to the drawings, and irsttoFig. l, the improved current collector is here shown applied to the transmission of 4power from a three conductor trolley system yto road .30 vehicles. The conductors'are strungfalong one sident the roadwayor canal, as ,the'case may be, ontrolleypoles P in upperl and lower sets 1 and 2, respectively. The vehicles are .hereshown as road trucks?) and 4 (Fig. 1)..

motor arranged to exert a constant torque on the drum.. A three-conductor.cable 6 leads from the cable drum over a swivelled .pulley to the trolley carriage 7 where the conductor strands ot thek cable connect 'through trolley Contact wheels with the trolley wires.` The form of an arc-shaped ramp mounted on thek top of the vehicle. These guards are so arranged that the one on the vehicle nearest -Each vehicle carriesa cable drumv and motor s housing 5, which contains within it, as in, dicated diagrammatically', a cable drum and this application ined my ai,Y s.

the ,trolley poles will guide the Vcable ot the."

`far. vehicle yover-.the cableand motor housing of the nearvehicle, .should there be any sag in the cable" of the far vehicle.

- Each trolley' carriage is provided with three sets of trolley `Contact wheels. One oi each set is shown in detail in Figs. 2, 3 and 4L.. As here shown, each set comprises five f 'tive wheels, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13, respectively,

mounted so as to bearonthree sidesiofthe trolley wire 14 and thus partly embrace the saine, as shown-in Fig. 2. l*All of the contact. wheels except 9 are mounted on spindles ixed inthe wheel frame 15, while the wheel 9 is mounted on a spring actuated arm 16 so as to resi'lieiitly bear upwardly againstk the trolley wire. The top wheels 11 and 13 are held in engagement with the trolley wire under' the force of gravity aided by the tensionof tlieflower ywheel 9, while the side wheels 10 and 12 are held against'the trolley wirerby. the cam action ofthe troughs ot the top'and bottomwheels bearingngainst theiwire.

lEach set of three trolleywires is mounted on the poles by means, of a block17, (Figs. 5 to 7), which4 carries a setV of-three trolley:V supports, each of which comprises, as shown in Figs. 5 to 7, av bracket arm 18 carryingi a 'trolley holder19through the intermedia,- tion of an insulator20, thetrolleyholder havingl a clover-shaped cross section as.y indi- 1 ycated in Fig. 5 .whichtapers vdown at each end to substantiallyfthe dimensions 'of the. trolley wire as indicatedin Figs.'6 and 7, so that the contactwheels may easily spread and ride thereoveiz`l Y Having thus described my invention what l claimand desire to secure by Letters Patent is ,v f f 1. The combination of an electrically driven vehicleadapted to travel'on a lfixed way, a stationary' powersupplyline extending` v`along one side of said way and including a trolley wire, a supportingstructure therefor on the opposite sideof ,the wire from `said 100 fixed way, and means for connecting the said structure to that side of the `trolley wire which is next to the fixed way, a trolley element adapted to travel on said trolley wire, comprising-.a rigid `traine on the outside of vthe trolley wire, an arm extending therefrom Y to the inside of the trolley wire so as to clear the supporting means thereof, and a plurality of grooved contacting wheels mountedv on said arm adapted to engage the same trolley .110

wire in planes lyingat such angles with respect toi each .ot en as to embracev the lsame and be held thereby, together Withaiflexible cable mechanically connected with said frame and electrically connected With said: trolley Wheels and having itsfree end extending to thevehiclc and' mechanically and electrically connected thereto, so as :totrail the trolley rame'and trolleyvvheels along the trolley along said `way and including a trolleyyvira'V i oles Vand su.h ortinU-brackets extendinv 3 b i D from' said poles aroundy said Wire to engage the same on one Vside only, a vehicle adapted vtoftravelon said iixedway, translating de-4 cally connected to the-vehicle and electrically connected to saidtranslating devices; a trailer viceson `said vehicle, afflexible cable mechanihaving al plurality of groovedcontacting Wheels adapted to engagesaid trolley Wire on dilerent sides so asto embrace the sameand be held thereby, said trailerconne'cted to the reefend of `said cable 'to transmit current therethrongh to the `vehicle, and said trolley wheels resisting displacement from thejtrol- Vley wireiin every direction in Which-said cable tendsto move themlp. s i

3.Tlhe combinationfwith an electrically driven vehicle, of'a stationary trolley power supply line, a flexible conducting cablecarried by the` vehiclcfand a current collector mem-` bei-carried bysaid cable anidadaptedtotravel on saidfline, comprisingaplurality of groovcdjf Y y i y l l p :pluralityof trolley conductors extending contactingwheels engaging-a trolley Wire on opposite and adjacent vsides soi as-to embracev the 'same andbe held thereby, the said supplyline lhavinga support arranged ftoembrace the same and said lsupport being provided with guiding ribsor said `grooved wheels eX` tending from those sides ofthe Wire engagedA by the contactingwheels Aand taperedV atfthe. ends to approximately the diameter of the Wire i 4. l, Thei combination of an electrically driv en vehicle adapted to travel on a fixed Way,` a

lstationary powersupplyline extending along one side of 'said way and including a trolley Wire' and supporting polesV therefor on theV A oppositeside of the Wirefromfsaid Xed Way;-`

a plurali-ty of brackets carried* on said poles,`

eachl extending around said Wire to the side therapie` next the vehicleiwaL and `having combined clam-ping andguiding engag-` ing said Wire longitudinally, and a flexible cabley having one `end-fmechanically attached to the vvehicle and electrically connected to 60 translatingineans thereon; a current collecting member electrically andmechanically connected-tetthe other end of the cable,` said current collecting member comprising a frame shaped totravel along and parallel with said 65 trolley Wire' clear of said brackets 4and having a plurality of grooved contacting Wheels cnl gaging the same trolleywire n in planes-dips?,

Vplaced fromfeach otlierat such" angles Fas to l resist-disengagement from the trolley AWire/7c by any-movement of the cableor the vehicle; i

5. The combination of-anelectrically drivl en vehicle `adaptedto ltravelon ag fixed uayg: astationary power supply line includingla plurality-` of trolley "conductors `A`extending 7a n along one side of said"vvay.,asupportingV i ,strnctureon the side of said Wires away'fronr; t lthe fixed Way, brackets on said structure er:-`

tending around and engaging therespcctive f trelley Wires from the'side nexthe fixed Way, 80 l a trailer engaging each trolley Wireon the free side thereof5 Aand ,a rigid `:trame'connected to said trailers to'move them `as one unit, togcther'with allexible cable extending from said rigid frame to'fthe vehicle,each'trailcr carrying a plurality of groovedcontacting wheels cngagiiig` the same trclleyrvvirc at such angles AVas te embrace the same l'andbefheld" thereby; v A Y V y 6. yThe combinationofan electrically driviuu en vehicle aldaptedtol travel one-fixed ivay,`

Stationary power fsup'plyeline .incudine a:

along Vone side of saidway, a supporting struc i ture on the sidejof 4said Wiresaway rom'thc :fixed Way, brackets on sald VstructureV extend` A ing around and engaging therespectiver trol?" trailer engaging -eaclrtrolley Wire on the frena.-

side thereof, and'ga rigid" framecennected to A `1001i Y said trailers tomove themas one innate-f1 gethcr `With afflexible cable extending rom j resist displacement therefrom.

Intestimony whereof I hereuntofrax my signatureg- 'y y een UPSHAW: Avenawf 

